"Heavenly Emperor!"
Even the mighty Hunyue Emperor, a Chaos Saint Spirit Monarch with the potential to prove the Dao and become a Supreme One, felt his heart palpitate with fear and trepidation before the peerless, eternally invincible Heavenly Emperor. From the depths of his soul sprang feelings of submission, awe, and even profound respect.
On the side of the Pangu Universe, all present gazed with reverence and fervent admiration.
The Heavenly Emperor was the number one figure of the Pangu Universe throughout all ages!
He was also the goal countless individuals aspired to achieve in their lifetimes.
However, the alien race felt the complete opposite—a deep-seated terror.
With the exception of Dao Shishi, everyone else—including that unknown alien Monarch, Wujian Juejun, and the other alien super Monarchs—felt as insignificant as dust.
Even these proud Ancient Monarchs, these super Monarchs, these powerful overlords of the universe, seemed as weak as ants before the phantom of the Heavenly Emperor.
As for the others, they were even more rigid, their forms and spirits frozen, utterly unable to move.
Such was the terrifying might of the Heavenly Emperor!
The Heavenly Emperor hovered at the highest point of the Desolate Realm's sky, looking down upon everything, his gaze finally settling on Dao Shishi.
"You, Dao Shishi, are the little fellow many once called the hope of becoming another Giant for the alien race."
The Heavenly Emperor spoke slowly, his tone calm, his gaze relatively peaceful.
Dao Shishi could be called the invincible figure beneath the Supreme Ones of the Alien Ancient Universe, one who could sweep through Monarchs of all sides. Even in the Mythical Epoch, he was a peerless talent the Alien Ancient Universe focused on cultivating, hoping to nurture a new colossus from antiquity.
In those days, his fame was at its zenith, making him one of the top future Giant figures in the Chaos Sea.
Even in his current weakened state, he could not be underestimated, especially as a terrifying existence who had lived for over an epoch. Yet, in the Heavenly Emperor's words, he was merely a "little fellow."
But no one questioned it. The era in which the Heavenly Emperor existed was immeasurable, spanning epoch after epoch. He was also the most ancient Great Emperor of the Pangu Universe.
A single-epoch-old Dao Shishi was indeed like a small child in the Heavenly Emperor's eyes.
Dao Shishi opened his four eyes. Even facing the Heavenly Emperor, he felt deep awe and even terror, appearing utterly respectful as he said, "This junior is indeed Dao Shishi."
The Heavenly Emperor surpassed other colossi from antiquity, walking at the very forefront of the Eternal Realm, having traveled so far it was unreachable, his back impossible to even glimpse.
Facing such a figure, even Dao Shishi, a member of the hostile Alien Ancient Universe, felt a genuine respect from the depths of his heart—a pure respect for strength.
The Heavenly Emperor smiled faintly. "Dao Shishi, do you wish to live out ten lifetimes? A pity. Aside from that person, no one has achieved it, not even others who have mastered the Ten Revolutions Heaven-Defying Transformation. Your name is rather presumptuous. However, your Dao is indeed worthy of the name 'Ten Lifetimes.' One eye transforming into one lifetime, treading the Eternal Path—you do have the qualifications to aspire to the realm of the colossi from antiquity."
This was the Heavenly Emperor's praise. Dao Shishi's aptitude was indeed extraordinary, and the Great Dao he walked was unique.
The world only knew his name, but few knew the path he walked.
Yet, under the Heavenly Emperor's penetrating gaze, nothing could remain hidden. All the secrets upon his body were revealed.
Dao Shishi was born with ten eyes. Though innate, this also concealed great ambition. Secretly, he used each eye to transform into a lifetime, with a separate self training and striving within the world of each eye.
Ten eyes meant ten different worlds, equivalent to undergoing ten lifetimes of cultivation simultaneously.
Moreover, the Heavenly Emperor could see that the ten Dao Shishis within the ten eye-worlds all possessed considerable cultivation, having reached an extraordinary level—that of a Monarch.
It was precisely this that granted him supreme combat power surpassing ordinary Monarchs, allowing him to set foot on the Eternal Path and become the legendary Eternal Emperor who could rival Supreme Ones.
Dao Shishi's ambition was also immense. He hoped to cultivate all ten eye-lifetime bodies to their utmost limits, ultimately intending to merge the power of all ten lifetimes to transcend everything.
It had to be said, this was an extremely terrifying, heaven-defying Dao, one few in the Chaos Sea could match.
But Dao Shishi did possess such qualifications. In the past, he had become an Eternal Emperor and had been suppressed for an entire epoch without perishing.
It was foreseeable that upon returning to the Alien Ancient Universe, he would surely regain his peak. Moreover, the suppression of an entire epoch had also tempered his Great Dao, honing lifetime after lifetime within the inner worlds of his ten eyes.
The day he returned to his peak would also be the day he merged his ten lifetimes, assaulting the Supreme One realm, and even gazing toward the colossi from antiquity.
Hearing this, Dao Shishi was horrified, feeling he had no secrets left. He never imagined his hidden truths would be discovered by the Heavenly Emperor.
He had to admit he was indeed a figure. No longer concealing it, he said, "As expected of the supreme Heavenly Emperor. Truly, nothing can be hidden."
All sides were shocked. Dao Shishi was far too terrifying.
Not far away, the Great Emperor Reincarnation Body's eyes flickered. Such ten-lifetime cultivation—wasn't it remarkably similar to the Ten Revolutions Heaven-Defying Transformation?
Only, Dao Shishi's ten-eye, ten-lifetime cultivation might be more suitable for practice, allowing simultaneous cultivation and saving much time.
The Ten Revolutions Heaven-Defying Transformation involved shedding one lifetime after another, each being different.
It was just unknown how Dao Shishi's Dao compared to the Ten Revolutions Heaven-Defying Transformation in terms of strength.
The Heavenly Emperor chuckled. "A pity. In times of peace, I wouldn't mind letting you grow. I'm quite curious about your Great Dao. Unfortunately, the present does not permit it. I cannot, for personal desire, allow the Pangu Universe to face the threat of a future Giant."
The implication was clear: he intended to eliminate the threat of Dao Shishi, this future Giant.
"Heavenly Emperor, as a Giant among Supreme Giants, acting against a junior like me seems unreasonable."
Dao Shishi's expression changed abruptly. Facing the Heavenly Emperor, he had no will to fight. Even though this was merely a phantom, after witnessing the wills of the alien Emperors led by the Divine Chaos Emperor Ancestor being so easily crushed, he had no thought of resistance. Yet now, he still possessed the desire to survive.
He was an Eternal Emperor, a future colossus from antiquity. He was unwilling to be erased just like that.
At this moment, he could only use his status as a junior to plead with the Heavenly Emperor not to strike him down.
The Heavenly Emperor fell silent, as if pondering, making the Pangu Universe's powerhouses anxious, yet none dared speak out and offend the Heavenly Emperor.
Dao Shishi felt a flicker of joy, but his heart soon sank completely as he heard the Heavenly Emperor speak.
"You are a junior, but you are also an enemy of my Pangu Universe. Earlier, I personally witnessed you destroying numerous dimensional worlds, devouring billions of living beings as blood sustenance. Even as a junior, this is unforgivable."
"Therefore, I can only act!"
His finger and palm flipped over and pressed down like a peerless imperial seal, suppressing and slaying.
"No—!"
Dao Shishi screamed in terror, sensing utter, complete crisis. He immediately unleashed unprecedented Eternal Emperor power, and even his six closed eyes snapped open.
He firmly believed the Heavenly Emperor's phantom could not last long. As long as he survived this calamity, things would become much easier afterward.
"Roar—!"
"Roar—!"
"Roar—!"
...
Suddenly, it became visible. Within each of the ten eyes was a different otherworld—not real, but manifested—each distinct, yet without exception, all were similarly vast and boundless.
Faintly discernible, ten Dao Shishis were living out different lives within these otherworlds. What they shared was that each Dao Shishi was extremely powerful, exuding the aura of a Monarch, becoming the ruler of their respective eye-world.
Ordinarily, the ten Dao Shishis within the ten eye-worlds lay dormant, each cultivating. But at this moment, they had no choice but to emerge.
Instantly, Dao Shishi's weakened aura suddenly surged, climbing to its peak in the blink of an eye, returning to the flawless, undamaged Eternal Emperor realm of his prime from countless eons ago.
Of course, returning to such a peak state required Dao Shishi to pay an unimaginably heavy price. Otherwise, he would have directly regained his peak during his earlier confrontation with the Great Emperor Reincarnation Body.
Now, facing certain death, Dao Shishi spared no expense, nearly burning everything to reach his most supreme state, using the peak power of an Eternal Emperor—power that could rival a Supreme One—to resist this palm seal from the Heavenly Emperor.
Yet it was clearly visible that this peak Eternal Emperor power, capable of rivaling a Supreme One, appeared so fragile before the imperial seal, shattering inch by inch.
Such was the peerless Heavenly Emperor, unparalleled throughout the ages, eternally invincible. Even a phantom body could sweep through the myriad realms, undefeated!
The imperial seal drew near, about to strike Dao Shishi's body.
It was a thorough life-and-death crisis. Dao Shishi had a feeling that once the imperial seal landed on him, even in his absolute peak state, his form and spirit would be utterly annihilated, dead beyond dead.
Merely its approach was enough to suppress his peak-level Eternal Emperor aura and demonic energy, rendering them immobile.
In a daze, it seemed not a phantom, but the personally striking hand of the eternally peerless Supreme Giant.
It was truly hard to imagine that with his true self absent, the Heavenly Emperor's phantom could display such supreme might.
"No, I cannot die. I must still become a colossus from antiquity, looking down upon all ages. How can I perish here?"
"Extreme Sublimation!"
At this life-or-death juncture, a great roar shook the Eight Realms of the Myriad Worlds, reverberating through space and time.
Dao Shishi no longer dared hold back in the slightest, even resorting to his final trump card.
This was a last resort not to be used unless absolutely necessary. Once deployed, it represented the final opportunity, but also came with a tremendous cost.
But now, he had no choice.
Extreme Sublimation!
Within the ten eye-worlds, the ten Dao Shishis simultaneously manifested, transcending their worlds. They rapidly drew close to each other and violently collided, showing a tendency to merge into one.
Boom—!
The moment of fusion was like the convergence of ten Great Dao Heavenly Suns in the past, causing Dao Shishi's aura to soar once more, shaking the myriad heavens and worlds.
That level of might actually seemed to transcend the Eternal Emperor realm, reaching a domain comparable to a true Supreme One.
Supreme One!
The world was shaken!
"A Supreme One! Dao Shishi is assaulting the Supreme One realm, about to completely become a transcendent, supreme Great Emperor!"
"You could say Dao Shishi is undergoing his final Extreme Sublimation. Originally, an Eternal Emperor could rival a Supreme One. After achieving this Extreme Sublimation, he could truly battle a peak Supreme One. Indeed, this Extreme Sublimation is a form of quasi-Supreme One, also assaulting an even more powerful level within the Supreme One realm."
"Unimaginable! Sealed for nearly an entire epoch, with infinite origin worn away, Dao Shishi still possesses such foundation to assault the Supreme One realm!"
"This is an Eternal Emperor—different from the rest, the strongest Monarch to have set foot on the Eternal Path!"
"Truly worthy of being Dao Shishi, the legendary Eternal Emperor! Nurturing ten lifetime bodies within ten eye-worlds, and now their fusion possesses such might!"
Powerhouses from both Ancient Universes were astonished because Dao Shishi was assaulting the Supreme One level. Moreover, the boundless power continuously released from his body clearly indicated he could truly step into that Great Emperor Supreme One realm, impervious to the erosion of time.
It must be understood that Dao Shishi was not at his peak. He had been sealed for many years, his origin even less than half of his prime state, yet he could still assault the Supreme One realm.
And from the looks of it, his assault would succeed without hindrance. One could imagine how terrifying Dao Shishi was.
However, those at the Ancient Monarch level, especially super Monarchs and above on both sides, had other thoughts.
"Is Lord Dao Shishi forcibly advancing to Supreme One?"
"No, Lord Dao Shishi is undergoing a desperate Extreme Sublimation, striving with all his might to establish the Supreme One realm. Though he can smoothly prove the Dao and become a Supreme One, in the end, he will need to pay an extremely heavy price."
The alien powerhouses looked grim, especially that alien Monarch.
The main purpose of descending this time was to rescue Dao Shishi and bring him back, after all. Dao Shishi possessed the absolute potential to ascend to a Supreme Giant.
A Supreme One was an important figure for the Alien Ancient Universe.
But a colossus from antiquity was even more crucial, even indispensable.
A single Supreme Giant, often within other Chaos Ancient Universes, was enough to become the master of a great universe, capable of supporting the prosperity and peak of an entire Chaos Ancient Universe for epoch after epoch.
Precisely because of this, the alien race spared no expense to rescue Dao Shishi, determined to nurture him into another future Supreme Giant.
But now, though they had rescued Dao Shishi, the outcome was not as ideal as anticipated.
Before fully recovering, Dao Shishi was forced to undergo Extreme Sublimation, forcibly assaulting the Supreme One realm. This would inevitably create a terrible flaw. In the future, wanting to assault the Supreme Giant realm would likely not be so simple.
There was even a high probability of leaving a great limitation.
For the entire Alien Ancient Universe, this was an enormous loss.
"Is he mad? Already severely wounded, origin depleted, forcibly advancing to Supreme One like this... though he would immediately gain infinite combat power, such advancement would also likely come at an extremely great cost, creating an unstable foundation. It would require postponement for many tens of thousands of years, perhaps even losing all hope of setting foot in the realm of the colossi from antiquity in this lifetime."
"No, Dao Shishi isn't exactly mad. If he doesn't go crazy now, he will definitely be suppressed and slain by the Heavenly Emperor. Then there truly would be no path to survival."
"A pity. Though an enemy, Dao Shishi is indeed a peerless figure. Nurturing ten lifetime bodies within ten eye-worlds—given enough time, perhaps all ten bodies could become Supreme Ones. Then, merging like this, he could transcend the Supreme One realm and become a colossus from antiquity in one fell swoop."
The Pangu Universe's powerhouses also sighed in admiration. As enemies, they had to admit Dao Shishi's extraordinary, unparalleled nature.
Hunyue Emperor's eyes flickered uncertainly, similarly sighing repeatedly. In a sense, he could be said to have breathed a sigh of relief because, this way, Dao Shishi's path to ascending and becoming a colossus from antiquity would become many times more difficult.